Books by Angela Johnson
A Cool Moonlight
Born with a rare and dangerous allergy to sunlight, Lila's spent her life hidden from the daylight-staying covered up and indoors until dark, only venturing outside after the sun has set and the moon's cool light shines. Almost every night, she is visited by two young girls who wear tutus over their jeans and costume fairy wings, and the three of them dance and tell wonderful stories. But while Lila adores her family and her new friends, still she longs to feel the sun's touch. Lila's mysterious friends have promised to help her . . . but how?
Copies
No copies available.
The First Part Last
Bobby's a classic urban teenager. He's restless. He's impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He's going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they'll be spending time with doctors, and next, diapers. They have options: keeping the baby, adoption. They want to do the right thing.
If only it was clear what the right thing was.
Copies
No copies available.
The First Part Last
This little thing with the perfect face and hands doing nothing but counting on me. And me wanting nothing else but to run crying into my own mom's room and have her do the whole thing.
It's not going to happen....
Bobby is your classic urban teenaged boy -- impulsive, eager, restless. On his sixteenth birthday he gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever. She's pregnant. Bobby's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and hanging with friends no longer seem important as they're replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and a social worker who says that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.
With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson looks at the male side of teen pregnancy as she delves into one young man's struggle to figure out what "the right thing" is and then to do it. No matter what the cost.
Copies
No copies available.
The First Part Last
This little thing with the perfect face and hands doing nothing but counting on me. And me wanting nothing else but to run crying into my own mom's room and have her do the whole thing.
It's not going to happen....
Bobby is your classic urban teenaged boy -- impulsive, eager, restless. On his sixteenth birthday he gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever. She's pregnant. Bobby's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house parties and hanging with friends no longer seem important as they're replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and a social worker who says that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.
With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson looks at the male side of teen pregnancy as she delves into one young man's struggle to figure out what "the right thing" is and then to do it. No matter what the cost.
Copies
-
$17.99
Bird (Camp Princess)
Devastated by the loss of a second father, thirteen-year-old Bird follows her stepfather from Cleveland to Alabama in hopes of convincing him to come home, and along the way helps two boys cope with their difficulties.
Copies
No copies available.
Lily Brown's Paintings
Author Angela Johnson and illustrator E. B. Lewis combine their award-winning talents to create a dazzling celebration of family and creativity.
When Lily Brown paints, her world starts to change . . .
trees wear hats and drink tea, people walk upside down, and apples sing all the way home from the store.
It's Lily Brown's world, and it's wondrous.
A little paint and a lot of love bring imagination to life in this captivating picture book. Angela Johnson's lyrical writing compliments E. B. Lewis' delightful watercolors. This book marks a different approach for E. B. Lewis' artwork as his images imitate the great artists, such as Van Gogh and Matisse.
Copies
No copies available.
Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street & When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street
Welcome to Magnolia Street, where Charlie has just moved into her new home. It isn't long before Charlie's exploring, meeting all of her new neighbors, and getting herself into trouble. Her adventures with her bound-to-be best friend Billy--tricking Charlie's older brother, making a racket on a bus trip to the museum, or digging up a box of buried treasure--make even ordinary exciting. This collection of interrelated short stories is a true delight, perfect for newly emerging independent readers. Both girls and boys will cheer for this spunky girl as she takes on Magnolia Street and blossoms day by day.
From the Hardcover edition.
Copies
No copies available.
Do Like Kyla
"This simply told story highlights such everyday events as eating oatmeal and walking to the store, aptly capturing a small child's sense of pleasure in imitating an older sibling...A universal story that features a warm and loving black family." - School Library Journal
Copies
No copies available.
Wind Flyers
Three-time Coretta Scott King Award–winning author Angela Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long introduce readers to a band of under-celebrated World War II heroes—the Tuskegee Airmen.
All he ever wanted to do was fly.
With fleeting prose and transcendent imagery, this book reveals how a boy’s love of flight takes him on a journey from the dusty dirt roads of Alabama to the war-torn skies of Europe and into the hearts of those who are only now beginning to understand the part these brave souls played in the history of America.
Copies
No copies available.
Just Like Josh Gibson
The story goes...
Grandmama could hit the ball a mile,
catch anything that was thrown,
and do everything else --
just like Josh Gibson.
But unfortunately, no matter how well a girl growing up in the 1940s played the game of baseball, she would have faced tremendous challenges. These challenges are not unlike those met by the legendary Josh Gibson, arguably the best Negro-League player to never make it into the majors.
In a poignant tribute to anyone who's had a dream deferred, two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and celebrated artist Beth Peck offer up this reminder -- that the small steps made by each of us inspire us all.
Copies
No copies available.
The Day Ray Got Away
Ray is a parade balloon who longs to float far above the crowd, no strings attached. It’s his dream to fly on his own, though circumstances always seem to tie him down. But Ray is determined to achieve his goal, and with persistence and determination he manages to break free and soar through the skies. Readers will cheer for Ray’s triumph and delight in the joyful parade scenes—you’ll never look at a parade balloon the same way again!
Copies
No copies available.
Lottie Paris and the Best Place
The charming and spirited Lottie Paris is back—and she loves the library!
Lottie Paris has a favorite place. The library! She loves to go there and read about space. She knows there are rules at the library, but sometimes they are not so easy to follow.
The library is Carl’s favorite place, too. And he loves to read about dinosaurs. When Lottie and Carl meet, they become fast friends. Now Lottie reads about dinosaurs, and Carl loves space!
After joyously introducing Lottie Paris in Lottie Paris Lives Here, Angela Johnson and Scott Fischer have created a brand-new world for Lottie to dream in—alongside a brand-new friend.
Copies
No copies available.
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom
Experience the joy of Juneteenth in this celebration of freedom from the award-winning team of Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis.
Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South. Since then, the observance of June 19 as African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. This stunning picture book includes notes from the author and illustrator, a timeline of important dates, and a glossary of relevant terms.
Told in Angela Johnson’s signature melodic style and brought to life by E.B. Lewis’s striking paintings, All Different Now is a joyous portrait of the dawn breaking on the darkest time in our nation’s history.
Copies
No copies available.
Lottie Paris Lives Here
Join Lottie Paris in her world and you’ll never look at yours the same again in this exuberant picture book!
Lottie Paris may be precocious, but she still knows how to act like a kid. She dresses up, she plays on the slide, she eats cookies instead of vegetables. She has a great imagination and sees the possibilities in the simplest pleasures. Plus, she’s sassy, so there’s no chance of getting bored.
Copies
No copies available.
Sweet, Hereafter
Coretta Scott King Award-winner Angela Johnson concludes her Heaven trilogy with a poignant tale of discovering where—and with whom—you belong.
Copies
No copies available.
I Dream of Trains
by Angela Johnson, Loren Long (Illustrator)
The poignant words of two-time Coretta Scott King Award–winning author Angela Johnson and striking images from fine artist Loren Long join forces in this heartbreaking yet uplifting picture book about a boy, his love for trains, and his adulation of one legendary engineer.
Papa says
it’s the sound of leaving
that speaks to my soul...
A young black boy toils all day long on a cotton field where his one escape is watching the trains go by on the nearby tracks and imagining they’re carrying him somewhere far away—maybe with Casey Jones at the helm. But when the boy loses his hero, will he lose his dream, too?
Copies
No copies available.
A Sweet Smell of Roses
Two young girls not only witness but help to change history in this inspiring and urgent Civil Rights-era picture book by three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Angela Johnson.
There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice.
Inspired by the countless young people who took a stand against the forces of injustice, two Coretta Scott King Honorees, Angela Johnson and Eric Velasquez, offer a stirring yet jubilant glimpse of the youth involvement that played an invaluable role in the Civil Rights movement.
Copies
No copies available.
A Sweet Smell of Roses
Two young girls not only witness but help to change history in this inspiring and urgent Civil Rights-era picture book by three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Angela Johnson.
There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice.
Inspired by the countless young people who took a stand against the forces of injustice, two Coretta Scott King Honorees, Angela Johnson and Eric Velasquez, offer a stirring yet jubilant glimpse of the youth involvement that played an invaluable role in the Civil Rights movement.
Copies
No copies available.
Bird
by Angela Johnson, David Burnie, Rita Murphy, Ben Hoare, Audobon, Andrew Zuckerman, Beatriz Martin Vidal
A GIRL EASILY carried off by the wind.
An elderly widow whose husband died under strange circumstances.
An isolated dwelling that breeds fear.
Miranda has no recollection of where she came from—only that years ago, a gust of wind deposited her outside Bourne Manor. The Manor’s sole inhabitant, Wysteria Barrows, took Miranda in and promptly outfitted her with special boots—boots weighted with steel bars to keep her anchored to the ground. But aside from shelter and clothing, Miranda receives little warmth from the aging widow. The Manor, too, is a cold place, full of drafts and locked doors. Full of menace. Full of secrets.
Then one day a boy named Farley appears. Farley helps Miranda embrace her destiny with the wind . . . and uncover the Manor’s hidden past.
Copies
No copies available.
Bird
by Angela Johnson, David Burnie, Rita Murphy, Ben Hoare, Audobon, Andrew Zuckerman, Beatriz Martin Vidal
Accompanied by an audio CD containing a variety of bird calls and songs, a colorful study of the birds of the world profiles more than 1,500 avian species, photographed in their native environment and featuring information on bird behavior and characteristics, tips on prime bird-watching locations, and facts about bird anatomy, life cycles, and conservation.
Copies
No copies available.
Bird
by Angela Johnson, David Burnie, Rita Murphy, Ben Hoare, Audobon, Andrew Zuckerman, Beatriz Martin Vidal
Devastated by the loss of a second father, thirteen-year-old Bird follows her stepfather from Cleveland to Alabama in hopes of convincing him to come home, and along the way helps two boys cope with their difficulties.
Copies
No copies available.
Bird
by Angela Johnson, David Burnie, Rita Murphy, Ben Hoare, Audobon, Andrew Zuckerman, Beatriz Martin Vidal
Bird by Chronicle,2009, Binding: Hardcover
Copies
No copies available.
Bird
by Angela Johnson, David Burnie, Rita Murphy, Ben Hoare, Audobon, Andrew Zuckerman, Beatriz Martin Vidal
Anything is possible when you believe. The moment is coming. Be ready. To start a new path, to grow up, to change, to rise to the occasion.
Bird is a stunning wordless picture book by Beatriz Martin Vidal, which brings us up to the moment of a child’s flight, as she launches into life and imagination takes off.
Copies
No copies available.
Julius
A humorous and joyful celebration of love and sharing by the award-winning and bestselling duo, Angela Johnson and Dav Pilkey.
When Maya's grandfather comes to visit from Alaska, he brings a surprise in a crate -- something, he says, to teach her "fun and sharing." Maya hopes it's a horse or a big brother. But instead, it's a huge, pink pig named Julius! Maya's parents see Julius as a slob, but Maya feels differently. She sees a playmate, a protector, and a sharer in all that's magical and wild.
This brand-new edition of the classic picture book by award-winning author Angela Johnson and illustrator Dav Pilkey will teach a new generation of readers about friendship, affection, and sharing, with lots of laughs along the way.
Copies
-
$14.99
A Girl Like Me
"[A] rallying cry for girls to reject limitations others might place on them and their dreams."―starred,The Horn Book Magazine
"Once I dreamed I swam / the ocean / and saw everything deep, cool / and was part of the waves. / I swam on by the people / onshore / hollering, / 'A girl like you needs to / stay out of the water / and be dry / like everyone else.'"
Empower young readers to embrace their individuality, reject societal limitations, and follow their dreams. This inspiring picture book brings together a poem by acclaimed author Angela Johnson and Nina Crews's distinctive photocollage illustrations to celebrate girls of color.
Copies
No copies available.
When I Am Old With You (Orchard Paperbacks)
"A small child imagines a future when he will be old with his Granddaddy and will sit beside him in a rocking chair and talk about everything...The poignant reality that time will never allow these two to coexist at the same age is softened by the fact that they do not have to be the same age in order to share happy times...The African American child and grandfather are...recognizable to anyone who has ever shared the bond of family love across generations." - School Library Journal, starred review
Copies
No copies available.
A Certain October
From three-time Coretta Scott King Award–winner Angela Johnson, a wrenching, honest book about surviving the unimaginable and finding a way to go on.
Scotty compares herself to tofu: no flavor unless you add something. And it’s true that Scotty’s friends, Misha and Falcone, and her brother, Keone, make life delicious. But when a terrible accident occurs, Scotty feels responsible for the loss of someone she hardly knew, and the world goes wrong. She cannot tell what is a dream and what is real. Her friends are having a hard time getting through to her and her family is preoccupied with their own trauma. But the prospect of a boy, a dance, and the possibility that everything can fall back into place soon helps Scotty realize that she is capable of adding her own flavor to life.
With artfully spare prose, acclaimed and award-winning author Angela Johnson explores the ramifications of unexpected death in this compelling coming-of-age story. An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick.
Copies
No copies available.
Sweet, Hereafter (The Heaven Trilogy)
After Heaven and The First Part Last, three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson concludes her acclaimed trilogy with a poignant tale of finding where you belong and who you belong with.
Shoogy left home with all her jeans still in the washer because she couldn’t think of a reason to stay. She’s not sure where she belongs, until she meets Curtis. Curtis knows for certain where he does not want to be and that’s to be back in the army. He is happy to be in Ohio, where it is quiet and he can spend time with Shoogy. But when Curtis gets orders to return to Iraq, will belonging with each other be enough to keep Shoogy and Curtis together? Angela Johnson takes us back to Heaven, Ohio in this bittersweet tale of first love found and lost.
Copies
No copies available.
In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Dinah Johnson, Angela Johnson, Javaka Steptoe, David Anderson, Sonia Sanchez, E. Ethelbert Miller, Folami Abiade, Dakari Hru, Michael Burgess, Lenard D. Moore, Davida Adedjouma
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award - American Library Association (ALA)
In this intergenerational collection of poetry by new and established African American writers, fatherhood is celebrated with honor, humor, and grace.
In this intergenerational collection of poetry by new and established African American writers, fatherhood is celebrated with honor, humor, and grace. Folami Abiade, Dinah Johnson, Carole Boston Weatherford, Dakari Hru, Michael Burgess, E. Ethelbert Miller, Lenard D. Moore, David Anderson, Angela Johnson, Sonia Sanchez, and Davida Adedjouma all contribute. Javaka Steptoe, who also offers a poem, employs an inventive range of media to bring each of the poems to life. In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall testifies to the powerful bond between father and child, recognizing family as our greatest gift, and identifying fathers as being among our most influential heroes.
Copies
No copies available.